Building an ARIZONA ROOM
by enclosing a patio or porch

To learn more about this project, read the section on the right. (Mobile phone users will need to manually scroll >>RIGHT>>).

ARIZONA ROOMS in Surprise, Arizona

Want to enjoy the sunny skies in Surprise all year round (without having to worry about outdoor temperatures or a breeze full of dust)? You need an Arizona room!

Sun rooms in Arizona are often built so that they can be used for many different purposes, right? At different times of the year, your sunny Arizona room can be used as a playroom for the grandkids, a bright home office, a home gym, or even an extra space to set up a dining table (like when you're hosting a big holiday dinner).

Will your sun room be built from the ground up or by enclosing & converting a porch or patio?

The contractors that you will contact through this site will build you a sunroom either from the ground up or by converting an existing space (like a back porch, covered patio, or even a carport). From the planning, design and permits to the construction, you're in the right place!

So, no matter what way is best for you for building your addition, our general contractors will build your room addition that way. For people in Surprise who are remodeling on a tight budget, the least expensive option is typically to build your room addition by enclosing a patio, porch, or even a garage or carport. (However, if it is best for you for our contractors to build your home addition out in to your yard or even upward - as a 2nd story addition - that is fine, too!)

The advantages of making an Arizona room by converting a porch or patio

Why would enclosing a patio or porch to convert it to a room addition be so appealing? First, by starting with an existing exterior feature that mainly just needs one or two walls added, our contractors in Surprise will build you a room addition faster (and for a lower cost of course) than when building a room addition out in to your yard. Further, many people have limited space (or even an old cactus in the way), so they prefer to enclose an area rather than take away from their yard (or get too close to a property line).

To enclose that a patio or porch to make it legally in to interior living space, the process can be quite simple. For instance, people who already have covered patios or porches often want them converted in to an enclosed Arizona room (or even in to an extra bedroom). Since many back porches already have adequate roofing and a few walls, converting them can be fast and inexpensive. (If desired, our contractors will also build you a new patio or porch to replace the one being enclosed in to a runny Arizona room.) To enclose an uncovered patio is of course a similar project, except that there will need to be a new ceiling and roof built.

So, here's an example of a back porch converted in to a sun room. In the "after" photo below, notice at the far end that there is a new angled fireplace. Also, the rather narrow patio was widened slightly in to the backyard. (To keep reading, scroll down.)

Other than widening the space and installing the new fireplace, this remodel only involved a few other small architectural changes. One other important detail relates to the central HVAC system in the attic above the main home. (Even though there are overhead fans, it is still ideal to have the cooling and heating system connected, right) So, in this case, the ducts were slightly extended to reach out above the Arizona sun room, plus some standard vents were added (next to the new smoke alarm).

By the way, this Arizona room faces south, so it gets sunlight of sunlight in the winter and very little in the summer. The sunny space is not only easy to keep cool in the summer, but quite pleasant even on a cold winter morning. (Obviously, the extra-tall windows along the right are key to keeping the temperatures comfortable.)

The last detail that we will mention is the new tile floor. Looking at this surface, how much better do you like it than the original plain cement? That tile is made of quartzite stone.

Or is it...? Would you believe that it is not really tile, but is actually just acid-stained concrete?

In the case of the patio enclosure shown above, it is real tile in the new sun room addition. However, in other cases, it might not work well to use tile. Before we look closer at the original patio (from prior to the conversion to an Arizona room), you might be interested in knowing why sometimes adding a new layer of tile over the original flooring is not ideal....

One problem can be when the bottom of any doors to the patio swing outward and are already level with the original concrete surface. In many cases like that, there is simply not enough clearance to just add tiles right over the existing surface.

On the other end of the spectrum, there can actually be a need to pour a few more inches of concrete. After doing dozens of conversions of patios, porches, and carports in and near Surprise, it is easy to see which ones will need for the height of the floor to be raised up to the level of the rest of the interior of the home (like by building up a sub-floor).

As for your own case, our contractors can discuss your priorities, inspect your property in Surprise, discuss your budget, then propose a custom remodeling plan that includes only the options that are the perfect fit for you. To get an estimate or even just ask a question, click here now: contact your new remodeling contractor in Surprise.

We even had a request recently to enclose a huge patio with "window walls" that fully open (so that the sunroom addition can be instantly converted "back" to a regular open-air patio). That project has not been started yet, but it should make an intriguing gallery when it is done....

Back once again to this patio enclosure project, below is a full-size photo of the patio before it was converted in to an Arizona room addition. You would agree that the old patio is nowhere as nice as the new sunroom, too, right?

By the way, the two chains hanging down in the foreground on either side of the picture are from a porch swing. That was completely removed when the patio made in to a room addition. Even the old overhead fans were replaced.

You might also notice the gravel and citrus tree in the yard. Does that look familiar?